MN HF3188

Calls on Minnesota's Congressional Delegation to support and fund passage of the Agent Orange Equity Act of 2009 to address health impacts on Vietnam War veterans exposed to herbicides containing dioxin.

Notes that the 1991 Agent Orange Act presumptively recognizes service-connected diseases for military personnel who served in Vietnam between 1962 and 1975, including Type II diabetes, Hodgkin's disease, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, multiple myeloma, prostate cancer, respiratory cancers, and soft-tissue sarcomas.

Identifies that Department of Veterans Affairs policy since 2002 has required "boots on the ground" documentation of in-country presence, making it virtually impossible for Navy and Air Force veterans to claim benefits for herbicide-related illnesses.

Cites evidence that warships off Vietnamese shores distilled contaminated seawater for drinking water, and that Australian and U.S. studies found higher rates of Agent Orange-related diseases among Navy veterans than other military branches.

Directs the Minnesota Secretary of State to transmit copies of this resolution to the President, Congress, Senate and House leadership, and Senate and House Veteran Affairs committees urging support for the Agent Orange Equity Act of 2009.